Let monks and pop stars deliver message

WE woke up on New Year’s Day to yet more tragic news of death on our roads: three teenagers killed and two others in a serious condition after a car crash near Nenagh in Co Tipperary.

This was all the more distressing since the number of road deaths here in 2008 was the lowest since records began in 1981.

If only we could reach our youth at a deeper level. Maybe we could do this through a mix of music and religion.

Recently, Cistercian monks from Stift Heiligenkreuz in Austria won a major record deal for their Gregorian chant. They released a CD — ‘Chant’ — which is highly successful. Their clip on YouTube has nearly 330,000 hits.

Their monastery is the second oldest Cistercian monastery in the world (1133 AD) and the oldest continually active, full with young entrants.

These monks show it’s possible to connect with young people. Maybe our own pop stars should be asked to help stop the road carnage? They could work with the churches, schools and the gardaí to connect with our youth and continue the great work being done by Gay Byrne and the Road Safety Authority. The motto of the Cistercian monastery in Austria is... “Life is short — pray hard”.

Michael O’Connor

Millbrook Court

Mill Road

Midleton

Co Cork